Ghost
by Elva4444
Summary: The boat never comes so Jack and his hunters catch up to Ralph at the beach. Rated T for violence, character death and minor language.
1. A stick sharpened at both ends

**A/N The bold text below is from the end of the book where my fanfic starts. Hope you guys enjoy! Please review, you can compliment or criticize!**

**Ralph screamed, a scream of fright and anger and desperation. His legs straightened, the screams became continuous and foaming. He shot forward, burst the thicket, was in the open, screaming, snarling, bloody. He swung the stake and the savage tumbled over; but there were others coming toward him, crying out. He swerved as a spear flew past and then was silent, running. All at once the lights flickering ahead of him merged together, the roar of the forest rose to thunder and a tall bush directly in his path burst into a great fan-shaped flame. He swung to the right, running desperately fast, with the heat beating on his left side and the fire racing forward like a tide. The ululation rose behind him and spread along, a series of short sharp cries, the sighting call. A brown figure showed up at his right and fell away. They were all running, all crying out madly. He could hear them crashing in the undergrowth and on the left was the hot, bright thunder of the fire. He forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet, rushing through the forest toward the open beach. Spots jumped before his eyes and turned into red circles that expanded quickly till they passed out of sight. Below him someone's **l**egs were getting tired and the desperate ululation advanced like a jagged fringe of menace and was almost overhead. He stumbled over a root and the cry that pursued him rose even higher. He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right shoulder and there was the glitter of water. Then he was down, rolling over and over in the warm sand, crouching with arm to ward off, trying to cry for mercy. He staggered to his feet, tensed for more terrors, and looked up at...**

…Jack Merridew, who Ralph supposed counted as a terror.

"So this is this it then,?" said Ralph bitterly "This is what happens? We were friends Jack, friends. Now here we are with you trying to _murder_ me. Just like Piggy and Simon.

"We never did anything to Simon!" Jack screamed, his eyes flashing with an insane glimmer. "That was the beast! We… we"

Ralph took advantage of this pause to speak."You know what you did. This was a good island Jack; somehow things went bad is all. We still have a chance to be friends again if we can forget what happened and get rescued."

"Rescued?! You said that a fire was what we needed to be rescued! Here's your fire Ralph, we should all be safe according to you, except we're still here!" the surrounding savages chorused their agreement and enclosed Ralph and Jack in a slowly spinning circle.

"_Kill the boy, cut his throat, spill his blood."_

Ralph's chest began to rise and fall rapidly, his fear beginning to show.

"Well if you think I'm going down without a fight you're stupid and wrong, you were always wrong."

"You say that again "leader", and I'll kill you."

"You're stupid! You're just a twelve-year-old child."

"A child then, but a child with a spear and a grudge to settle." Jack smiled "and I warned you what would happen if you called me stupid again."

"_Kill the boy, cut his throat, spill his blood."_

Ralph positioned himself in something as close to a fighting stance as he could get with the wound in his side. He stumbled forward with the Lord of the Flies' stake in his hands, spent adrenaline leaving him shaking with exhaustion. Jack's smile reminded him of when the redhead was going to hunt, insane with the power to kill.

With deceptive ease Jack smacked the stake out of his weakened fingers.

"Wait, Jack, don't do this." Ralph was panicking.

Jack stomped forward, slamming the length of his spear across Ralph's body. An outcry of pain was drawn from the smaller boy as he fell to the ground and the gash on his ribs reopened. Ralph looked up to see the butt of Jack's spear whip through the air and felt an explosion of pain on the side of his head. A startlingly red stain spattered from the blonde's hair to the sand. Ralph cried out again.

"How do you like it now Ralph?" Jack screamed, his voice cracking with hatred for the boy before him "Now you're the one on the outside, you have no tribe and are at my mercy.

"Jack, please, no."

"Too late Ralph, I'm done. You should have thought about the consequences of crossing me."

"What did I even do to you?" Ralph scrabbled at the ground, searching for a weapon, his spear, anything. His desperate hands found a rock. He threw weakly, the granite missile bouncing of Jack, who continued to advance.

"Roger, give me your stick, the one sharpened at both ends." Jack's outstretched hand received the murder weapon, his eyes glinting with hatred again.

Ralph lay frozen on the ground as the cruelly sharp point descended. Jack pulled back at the last second, realizing what would happen if the spear went all the way down. Ralph was right, he was only a child, and a life, a _human_ life was a very big thing to take.

"I knew you couldn't do it Jack," breathed Ralph with relief "just like that pig when we first got here, you can't kill me."

"No Ralph, I'm different now. The island has changed me but you've stayed weak." The chant and ralph treating him like a littlun goaded Jack to violence.

"_Kill the boy"_ the spear went down _"cut his throat"_ Ralph gasped as he was stabbed _"spill his blood"_ a red puddle began to form.

Ralph looked at Jack in shock, his canes clutching weakly at the piece of wood stabbed into his stomach.

"I'll be back to haunt you tonight. You think a simple spear can get rid of me so easily? I'll live forever in your memories. You won't be able to stop thinking about me, the boy you murdered." A tree exploded in the fire behind Jack, wreathing his head in a halo of demonic light.

"You say you've been murdered, so why are you still talking? Dead boys shouldn't speak." said Jack, twisting the spear deeper into the dying child in the sand. Ralph yelped in pain, the giggled deliriously.

"Wow, Who knew you'd actually kill me. I didn't think you'd have had the guts for it." Ralph coughed again and with his final breath said something that chilled the surrounding hunters to the bone.

"See you tonight Jack Merridew, or see you in Hell."


	2. I'm back

**Sorry this is so short, I've been really busy with school and whatnot. If somebody reviews I'll post a new, longer chapter. I promise!**

Disposing of the body had been fairly easy. Life on the island had taken its toll on Ralph's physique and he now weighed very little.

Of course, thought Jack, the lack of blood probably helped as well.

At first Jack had been happy, very happy. He had always felt second to Ralph and with the blond out of the way he was the undisputed chief of the island. Now, as Jack dragged Ralph's limp body through the burnt-out forest and the elation of the kill faded, deeper and more alien emotions began to set in. He remembered how shocked Maurice had looked when the spear drove home. Oh god. Had he really just murdered someone? Ralph had been a boy too, just like him. A boy with parents, teachers, friends. None of which now knew he was dead. What would they think of Jack if they knew what he had done? No. They would _never_ know. Jack was never getting off this damn island so they would never know how Ralph died. Wracked with guilt and horror at what he'd done Jack dropped Ralph to the jungle floor and fell to his knees beside the boy who had once been his friend. A silent tear dropped from Jack's eye to the dead boy's chest.

Jack Merridew laid Ralph out among the ashes and walked out of the small clearing with blood on his hands and remorse in his heart.

Ralph's eyelids twitched and he slowly dragged himself back to consciousness. He wasn't dead! The charred trees spun around him as Ralph dizzily tried to sit up. That felt so _weird_, like he was leaving part of himself on the ground. Sucks to Jack! What kind of hunter fails to kill his prey? That wasn't his chief concern, Ralph realized. He still needed to find a safe place to lie low.

Ralph stood, and stumbled drunkenly. He had to have lost a lot of blood to be this dizzy, and this pale. Ralph noticed a long stick on the ground that could double as a sort of crutch until he regained his balance. However, when he tried to pick up the stick, his hands passed right through it. Okay… that was strange. He must have just missed it. Ralph tried again focusing as hard as he could. With some effort, this time he was able to pick up the stick and lean against it. Anger towards Jack surged through him. How dare that little full-of-himself-prick betray and try to murder him!? Ralph no longer cared how dangerous it was, he was going to search the whole island until he found Jack and got back at him!


	3. Roger troubles

**Wow, that was despicable. I waited sooooo long to update I could probably be put in jail. The attractive Jack Merridew strongly disapproves of my crappy writing skills. Oh well. This chapter has some cursing so yeah. Again, I apologize for me. (And my refusal to proofread.)**

**Jack M: You're forgetting something...**

**Me: I am? *blank stare***

**Roger: You know, say it or else.**

**Me: Okay, fine! You guys didn't need to be so mean to me though. I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE FLIES. WILLIAM GOLDING DOES!**

Jack couldn't sleep. He was too worried that Ralph would make good on his promise and come for him in his sleep. The thought of lying awake in the shelter for god knows how long felt incredibly unappealing so once the hunters were asleep Jack crept out of the shelter and headed for the jungle, tripping over someone sitting in the sand.

"Its only me." said roger.

"Roger? What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I like to watch the jungle and think about killing the things that live inside of it. All the things."

"That's interesting… so, I'm going to go for a walk on my own, and I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait. Chief. I saw the wetness in your eyes after you disposed of the body. We can't afford to have a chief who's getting soft, now, can we? Just saying you had better be careful." Jack mumbled his agreement and backed swiftly into the protective cover of the trees. Had roger been threatening him?! Whatever, he could deal with roger later. For now he just wanted to walk. Not think. Especially about Ralph. Who he had killed. Bollocks to Ralph! Jack was going to forget about him and that was that.

Ralph stalked through the forest, moving silently. His footsteps were so light that he didn't even feel the sticks and foliage beneath his feet. Again, weird.

"Snap out of it Ralph, you have priorities." he murmured quietly to himself. He needed to start thinking about Jack, not how the plants felt when he stepped on them. Where could Jack be? Ralph remembered that Jack had liked to sit where they first found that piglet, lifetimes ago. He would start looking there. As he walked, Ralph began to notice that he was not getting tired from lack of sleep and all this walking. What was happening to him? Why did he feel so strange and light-headed? Ralph's thoughts were interrupted as an unmistakable shock of red hair moved through the forest about 50 feet from where he was standing. Ralph gasped in shock and Jack turned, staring, a spear in hand.

Jack heard an intake of breath and whirled around with his spear, expecting Roger. Instead, he found ralph just standing there and… glowing? No, that was impossible. And yet here Ralph stood before him, unnaturally pale and letting off a tiny amount of light.

Jack was just standing there, so Ralph decided to make the first move. He walked slowly towards Jack, glaring. Jack stayed frozen. Ralph was unable to take the life of another no matter what they had tried to do to him, so this confrontation could only end one way. Ralph suddenly felt very tired, and stopped focusing on the spear he was holding. As soon as he stopped thinking about it, the spear passed through his hands. Ralph flinched back in horror, then glared at Jack who still just stood there, eyes wide at what he had just seen.

"What the hell? What did you do to me when you stabbed me?"

"I killed you." Jack said softly.

"Well you _obviously_ failed to do that, because I'm still alive... Oh." Ralph's voice petered off as he realized what Jack might be saying.

"Are you saying I'm a ghost? That might actually explain all the weird stuff I've been feeling lately." Jack slowly reached out a hand, and put it on Ralph's chest.

"You feel really cold ralph, and kind of… Soft? Wait; stop focusing on being so solid." Ralph tried to think about home, and as soon as he was distracted Jack's hand passed through his chest and came out the other side.

" I- I can sort of see through you," Jack stuttered. "Hey, I wonder if I can feel the things inside of you? Like your guts and stuff!" Jack's inner child began to come out as he felt around for Ralph's heart.

"Whoa, this is so cool! Um, wait. Hold on. Ralph, I don't think your heart's beating."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Ralph's voice was an octave or two higher with indignity. "You freaking _murdered_ me and now you're just poking around at my heart to see if it's still _beating_? What's wrong with you? You don't feel bad? do I just float around as a flipping_ ghost_ that probably never ages? What will my parents think? If I can float or something, then I'm going to float off this goddamn island back to London. When they ask me where the island is I'm not going to tell anyone because you know what, Jack Merridew, you can all _die_ here because I don't give a damn!

"Look, Ralph, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking over at the beach and I certainly wasn't thinking now when I was poking your heart. I hate to admit this but I was crying over you earlier, I didn't think I could live with the guilt. Now Roger is threatening to "replace" me or something like that and the littleun's are scared of me and a lot of the island is all burnt and we'll never be rescued and you're still dead and… and… and…" Jack broke down and started crying.

"Jack, come on now, don't cry. What you did was inexcusable and I don't think I can forgive you yet, but for now let's have a truce." Ralph laughed bitterly. "Besides, it's not like you can betray and hurt me in any way, I'm already dead."

"Thanks Ralph, I apologize again. I might join you as a ghost really soon if Roger makes good on his threat."

"Sorry for cursing at you earlier, I just needed to get that off my chest. That Roger thing though, I don't think he's one to make idle threats. And if your leadership skills are crappy his will be horrible"

"Hey!" Jack said, "My leadership skills aren't crappy, they're just… different.

"You burned down the island, Jack."

Whatever. Me aside, I agree with you, with Roger in charge this whole island will go to hell in a hand basket. We need to go back together and take charge. Please, Ralph, you can even be in charge again?"

"Ugggh, fine. I'm reluctant to go near that little sadist again, but since I won't be in any danger I guess I'll come with you." On that happy note the two boys set off into the trees, and a sense of friendship that had been lost since the death of the first pig came flooding back.

**Please review or PM me, it makes my day! (also I'll kill another character if you don't!) Not really. (Maybe) **


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